Flexible foot-hugging infant&#39;s shoe



March 10, 1953 M. cocKRELL 2,630,636

FLEXIBLE FOOT-HIfCING INFANT"S SHOE Filed Nov. 17, 1950 [A/VC/S M. Cocmeeu,

INVENTOR.

Ar ra /v5 Patented Mar. 10, 1953 FLEXIBLE roo ni ueomo INEANTS SHOE Francis M. CockrelLBurbank, Calif. Application November 17, 1950, Serial No. 196,164

This invention relates to a novel form of footwear-or shoe designedparticularly for infants, though advantageous for use also by others, and has for its general object to provide a simple, economical and thoroughly practical form of shoe characterizednot only by its attractiveness but also the security with which it will be held to the foot, a feature generally lacking in infants' footwear.

The heel of an infants foot is both narrow and undeveloped at the back, so that it cannot be fitted by the usual soft shoe, for example, a knitted bootee, even though the shoe may be tied about the ankle. So undeveloped is the heel that the shoe will tend to slip down about the heel and off the foot. In accordance with the invention I have accomplished asecure and. yet comfortable retention of the shoe on the foot, by tying the shoe not only about the ankle, but also about the arch of the foot, all in a manner such that the shoe is so held to the arch as to resist slippage down about the heel and is held against slippage forwardly off the wider portion of the foot.

The invention further contemplatesmaking a shoe of the character indicated from a single sheet of material such as felt, chamois or the like, so formed as to be capable of die cutting from'thesheet stock and at low production cost.

Specifically; the sheet stock is cut into an'elon gated shape-including an intermediate pottion' forming the sole and. which is best tapered to-ward the heel end, a pair 6 of tongue and heel flaps hinged at the front and rear ends of i the sole portion to fold inwardly thereof, and a pair of side fiapshinged to the side edges of the sole to fold upwardly in overlapping'relation with the tongue and heel flaps. By an arrangement of registering string-receiving openings in the side and heel flaps, and also if desired in the sole portion, an appropriate string, such as a single ribbon, may be passed about both the arch and ankle portions of the shoe to hold the shoe securely on the foot.

All the above mentioned features and objects of the invention, as well as the details of a typical and illustrative embodiment, will be explained to best advantage in the following description of the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a general view showing the tied shoe in perspective;

Fig. 2 is a" vertical section in the plane of line 2-2 in Fig. 1;

Claims. (01. 36 -41) Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing-th strings and flaps in loose and open condition to more clearly reveal the flap relationship; and

Fig. 4 is a plan View of the shoe blank as it is cut from sheet stock.

Referring first to Fig.4, the shoe is formed of a suitable soft and flexible sheet stock 10 such as felt, suede or other appropriate material. As cut from the sheet stock, the blank comprises a longitudinally intermediate portion H which forms the sole of the shoe, a forward toe or tongue flap l2 the length of which may be approximately the same as the length of the sole section II, and a cut in the form of substantially straight edges at [6 and curved side edges I'l.

Extending laterally from the sole section II is a pair of side flaps l8, the edges I 9 of which curve rearwardly from the tongue hinge line I4 toward the heel flap l 3, the rear edges 20 of the side flaps extending inwardly to the hinge line l5. These side flaps are adapted to be turned upwardly from the sole section along the sides of the latter deffined by the hinge lines 2| which converge rearwardly fromthe hinge line M to the rear hinge 5 line I5, thus giving the shoe a progressively narrowing width toward the heel.

The tongue, side and heel flaps are provided with string-receiving openings or perforations, preferably in the form of parallel slits 23, 23a, 23b, 23c, 23d and 23a, positioned as illustrated in Fig. 3 to accommodate thestrings 24 and 25 which preferably are in ribbon form. By reason of the string extent beneath the sole section I I, the latter may also contain a pair of string-accommodating'slits 25d. I l h In shaping the shoe from the stock blank,

the tongue flap. I2 is turned rearwardly from 3 the hinge line M, with. the sides of the flap I! in-turned, and the heel flap I3 is turned up wardly along hinge line IS, with opposite side portions of the heel fiapturned forwardly, all 'as clearly illustrated in Figs. "1 and 2: The side flaps l8 then are turned upwardly along the hinge lines 2| into overlapping relation with both the toe and heel flaps, thus completing the form and shape of the shoe. By tying string which is inserted through the slits 23a in the side flaps,

the tongue flap may be held in place independently of the string 24. For the purpose of securing the shoe to the foot about both the heel and ankle, the string 24 is brought beneath the sole section II through slits 25a, thence upwardly at the sides to be crossed over at 21, from which the ends of the string are brought around the sides of flaps It to be tied at 28.

By reason of' the rearward taper given the sole portion II, the shoe is caused to snugly fit the characteristically narrow infants heel. Then because of string 21 being tied about boththe arch and ankle, the shoeis held comfortably and yet securely to the foot since any tendency for slippage down about the heel is resisted by the shoe being held to and about the arch.

It is contemplated that the shoe may be manufactured and distributed in the completely assembled condition of Figs. 1 and 2, or that it may be supplied inthe form of the Fig. 4 blank with. the strings furnished for insertion by the purchaser or user, or that the strings may be at least partially inserted through the slits to facilitate complete assembly and final threading of the strings by the purchaser,

I claim:

1. An infants shoe comprising, av single piece of sheet material including a sole portion having sidesconverging rearwardly of the shoe, a pair of sidefiaps hinged and folded upwardly from the ides of said sole portion, a. toe and tongue flaphinged and folded rearwardly from the front of. said sole portion between the side flaps, a heel flap hinged. and folded forwardly from the rear edge of said sole portion between the side-flaps, a first tie string extending across the underside of said sole portion at an intermediate shank location, then extending upwardly to form a loop about the side and tongue flaps, then crossing itself above the tongueflaps, and finally forming a second loop about the ankle portion of the shoe-formed by the tongue and side and heel flaps, said first loop being laced through a pair of openings in said sole portion to retain it in fixed relation thereto, said side and heel flaps having at opposite sides of the shoe overlapping areas containing pairs of openings received in essentially matching relation when the flaps of the shoe are in wearing relation, and. said stringbeing laced into and out of said pairs.

of openings at opposite sides of the shoe to retain said side and heel flaps in overlapping relation, said sole portionsv and all of said flaps being freely flexible to be snugly tightened about a wearers foot by tightening of the string, and. a second tie string, extending through openings at forward locations in the side flaps over the tongue flap.

2. An infants shoe comprising a single piece of; fiexiblesheet material including a sole portion, a pair of side flap portions hinged and folded upwardly from the sides of said sole por-.

tion, a toe and tongue flap portion hinged and folded rearwardly. from the front of said sole portion between and overlapped by said side flap, portions, a heel flap portion hinged and folded location, then extending upwardly at opposite sides of the shoe and forming a loop about said side and tongue flap portions, then crossing itself above the tongue flap portion, and finally forming a second p about an ankle portion of the shoe formed by said flap portions of said sheet material, said first loop of the string being laced through a pair of openings in said sheet material to retain the first loop at said shank location, said side and heel flap portions having at opposite sides of the shoe overlapping areas containing pairs of openings received in essentially matching relation when the portions of said material are in wearing relation, and said string being laced into and out of said pairs of openings at opposite sides of the shoe to retain said side and heel flap portions in overlapping relation.

3. An infants shoe as recited in claim 2, including fastening means forwardly of said tie string retaining said side flap portions in overlapping relation to said toe flap portion.

4, An infants shoe comprising a single piece of flexible sheet material including a sole portion, a pair of side flap portions hinged and folded upwardly from the sides of said sole portion, a toe andtongue flap portion hingedand folded rearwardly from the front of said sole portion between and overlapped by said side flap portions, a heel flap portion hinged and folded forwardly from the rear edge of said sole portion between and overlapped by said side flap portions, a tie string extending across the underside of said sole portion at an intermediate shank location, then extending upwardly at opposite sides of the shoe and forming a loop about said. side and tongue flap portions, then crossing itself above the tongue flap portion, and finally forming a second loop about an ankle portion of the shoe formed by said flap portions of said sheet material, said side and heel flap portions having at opposite sides of the shoe and at the shank location overlapping areas containing pairs of openings received in essentially matching relation when the portions of said material are in wearing relation, and said first loop of the string being laced into and out of said pairs of openings at opposite sides of the shoe to retain said side and heel flap portions in overlapping relation and to retain said first loop at said shank location.

5. An infants shoe comprising a single piece of flexible sheet material including a sole portion, a pair of side flap portions hinged and folded upwardly from the sides of said sole portion, a toe and tongue flap portion hinged and folded rearwardly from the front of said sole portion between and overlapped by said side flap portions, a heel flap portion hinged and folded forwardly from the rear edge of said sole portion between and overlapped by said side flap portions, a tie string extending across the underside of said sole portion at an intermediate shank location, then extending upwardly at opposite sidesof the shoe and forming a loop about said side and tongue flap portions, then crossing itself above the tongue flap portion, and finally forming a second loop about an ankle portion of the shoe formed by said flap portions of said sheet material, said side flap portions and said heel flap portion having at each side of the shoe overlapping areas containing two pairs of openings received in essentially matching relation when the portions of said material are in wear! ing relation, and each of said loops of the string 5 being laced into and out of one of said pairs of openings at each side of the sho to retain the side and heel flap portions in overlapping relation, and to retain the loops about the shank and ankle respectively of the shoe.

FRANCIS M. COCKRELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 726,778 Smith Apr. 28, 1903 1,104,357 Hassel July 21, 1914 Number 6 Name Date Sohn May 19, 1931 Hervey Aug. 4, 1931 Wernmark Apr. 21,1936 Shields Nov. 17, 1942 Brown Dec. 13, 1949 Roy Jan. 31, 1950 OTHER REFERENCES v American Shoemaking, September 8, 1914, 

